JimB1 Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 Any preferences in mallets for working with chisels? I'm not a carver and am really thinking more about chiseling dovetails and mortises. I see several shapes, sizes and weights around. How do you know what to get for what purpose??? Price wise they are all over the map from $8 - $100+ Any help would be appreciated. Thanks -Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baok Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 I bought that big square one Marples used to sell. It's nice but I end up using a smaller one most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 I use a 1 lb mallet the most, a 2 lbs mallet when needing finer control in harder wood. The 1 lb would suffice. I like the round cylindrical head mallets and usually grab the head with thumb and forefinger with the rest on the handle; gives great control for finer work; of course whacking at the chisel is just a full-hand grip on the handle and some grunting. This is the one I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flairwoodworks Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 Urethane heads are quieter than wooden heads. I use a round carver's mallet that is 16 oz, I do believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cormier33 Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 I went a different route and got this from Lee Valley: My link What I like about it is how much control I feel I have, especially with dovetailing. But, that's just personal preference, I have used larger beech mallet's years ago and thought they were okay too. It is quite heavy for its size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathryn Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 I got a 14 oz polyurethane "Wood is Good" mallet from, I think, The Best Things. A bit pricey, but It's fantastic. Can't recommend it enough. The soft plastic always registers on the chisel head, even if you give it a glancing blow. If you have Japanese chisels, you can use a metal hammer, but I have little expertise with that style. This guy also does a lot of mallets, and I recall seeing a bunch of cutting boards at Ikea . . . . . http://www.wkfinetools.com/tMaking/art/perfectMallet/pMallet1.asp http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/jThompson/restore/smallTools/smallTools-2.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 I put aside my wood mallet and started using a 1 lb dead blow hammer I got at Harbor Freight for about 8 bucks. The plastic faces don't damage the chisel handles and the deadblow feature feels like it is more in control. Best of all it is a hideous bright orange, so I don't lose it on my bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattvan Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 I've been using a Marples Squarish head mallet, about 20 ounces, for years and love it. There's a lot of control with this size and I'm not worried about rolling the edges of chisels. I used a rubber mallet for a long time, but for me the wood gives an immediate feedback. I can feel when the chisels need sharpening, I can feel when I need to add a little more something behind the swing and more importantly when to back off some of that something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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